Rituparna Sengupta impresses Atul Kulkarni

Actors Rituparna Sengupta and Atul Kulkarni who hardly knew each other beyond acting prowess became very good friends while shooting for the film Gauri- The Unborn, reports Ritujaay Ghosh.

When actors Atul Kulkarni and Rituparna Sengupta met for the first time, they knew little about each other beyond acting prowess. That was a year ago. Last month, the two went out together for dinner with families. That’s the way one makes friends at work.

There are other reasons behind their proximity. Theatre, literature and social reform are equally strong in Bengal and Maharashtra. So, during breaks on the sets of Gauri- The Unborn, Rituparna and Atul found common interests and that helped them carry forward the friendship.

Their camaraderie was quite visible at Priya Cinema where the premiere of the film was held on Monday. “It’s all about whether your wavelength matches. We both were equally excited after hearing the script and wanted to act in this film,” says Atul.

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Gauri…, which has Atul and Rituparna as husband and wife, is a supernatural thriller and releases on November 30.

What lured them towards this film?

“Despite being a supernatural thriller, there’s a human element to it and the film has a lot of emotions. I always wanted to work with Atul after watching films like Chandni Bar and Rang de Basanti,” says Rituparna.

Atul was impressed by Rituparna’s acting skills only after he watched Main Meri Patni Aur Woh, though he was aware that she was the reigning queen of the Bengali film industry. “Who doesn’t want to work with a National Award-winning heroine?” he asks.

Both National Award-winning actors feel supernatural thrillers and horror films have a market. “I choose films if the script is strong as that is what makes a good film,” says Rituparna.

For Rituparna’s fans too, Gauri… will be quite a surprise. She plays a housewife and a possessive mother. “I started late in Bollywood but I believe it’s better late than never. I am getting meatier roles now than what I was offered a few years back,” she says.

The actor also has quite a few releases up her sleeve. Rituparna is doing Srinivas’ Love Game opposite Randeep Hooda, Karan Razdan’s Mittal vs Mittal opposite Rohit Roy, Ajitesh Nair’s Sirf alongside Manisha Koirala and Manish Gupta’s Saab, Chai Pani? opposite Sonu Sood.

Atul has always been choosy but working with the Bengali actor has made him interested in Bengali films. “I have already had a word with Anjan Dutt and am working in his next Bengali film. Don’t worry, I have already started honing my Bengali,” says Atul, who will be seen next seen in Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra’s Dilli 6 alongside actors like Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor, Sagar Bellary’s Kacha Limbu and Faruque Kabir’s Allah Ke Bande.